Songbook

OMG this singer is the living end.....he is quite incredible!! He sings with astonishing emotion and brilliance. I heard the first track and was blown away -- this must be the very best personal testament to addiction. Virtually every song/performance tops the one before it. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this singer was the same one that delivered "Hunger Strike" the stand out song from Temple of the Dog which he was a member of - little did I know. But needless to say I have been a fan of that song for so long now. I knew nothing about a singer named Chris Cornell....never having been familiar with Soundgarden or Audioslave his other two rock bands. I was driving back from a Dental appointment in my car when this song came onto the car radio which I found out from further investigation was "Hunger Strike" and when I heard it, I almost drove off the rode. I thought it was the greatest song ever recorded. You see great music affects this way. So sad to hear of this singers passing by his own hand in 2015, such incredible and indelible talent we have left but It is my opinion without Chris here now (this world is a much smaller place).

I've been a Soundgarden and Audioslave fan for many years. But, for whatever reason, I'd never gotten around to purchasing any of Chris Cornell's solo music. Not really sure why, just never did. Well, the other day, while flipping through the options on XM, I stumbled upon Cornell's live acoustic version of "Like a Stone". I was floored. It literally stopped me in my tracks and gave me chills. (It's been a LONG time since that has happened... maybe Jeff Buckley, back when "Grace" was released....?) Needless to say, I immediately purchased the "Songbook" CD, and I have to tell you: EVERY single song on it is amazing. He covers Led Zeppelin's "Thank You" with such emotion; really intensely beautiful. And "Doesn't Remind Me"... a simple little melody... but, as with all his music, his haunting voice gives it such depth. I always loved his voice when he was with Soundgarden and Audioslave... but on this CD, his profound talent goes to a WHOLE new level. His voice is powerful, gentle and soulful, all at the same time. I just can't get ENOUGH of his music, and find myself wishing "Songbook" was a double CD. I'm hoping a live concert DVD will be released next. AND I'm ALSO hoping he'll come back to play Atlanta again soon. I'll be there.

Fantastic cd. Chris was one of the greatest singers of all time. Stripe away all the instruments and you hear the pure quality of his wonderful voice. As with most of the gifted artists, we loose them way before their time and are left with only small snippets of what we could have had. There is not one bad song on this cd. You get Chris Cornell at his best. R.I.P. Chris

Chris Cornell absolutely is one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Before Songbook tour, he had been constantly criticized for his unstable vocal performances. I believe that the critics were somewhat right for the Audioslave era in which Chris also admitted that he had problems with alcohol and smoking that could have affected his vocal ability during that time. But man... The Old Chris is back. I watched one of the tours last May in Seattle, and his vocal performance was a way beyond my expectation. After seeing his concert, I also have been watching his Songbook tour videos on Youtube and I have to say that he sounded so good throughout the tour. To me, he sounds even better than how he sounded when he was in Soundgarden in the early 90s. The voice is more mature and powerful than ever before. What surprises me is that his vocal performance was so stable throughout the entire tour despite that he had to perform without much gap between tour dates. Having just one or two days off after performing more than two hours for three or four days in a row, and then performing again, on and on, for a few months is not an easy thing for any musician. Although this may not be much of a problem for many singers whose songs do not require much of vocal range, this is not the case for Chris, as many of his songs are above high C. Also, we all know many vocalists, even those who are considered the greatest of all time, could not maintain their quality of voice when they turned about age of 40. Chris is almost 50 now...! He deserves much respect for keeping his singing ability. As you may hear from the tracks, he does not have any problem with hitting right pitch. "Call Me A Dog", for example, goes up around high E or F, but he sounds just fine hitting that note. Now if you think about it, what kind of musicians nowadays can hit that note with power, timbre and soul like Chris's while playing a guitar at the same time? Not just this, but also, without losing voice after performing for more than two hours for three or four days in a row? I certainly can't think of anyone. Of course, vocal range and power are not the only factors that define a good singer, but they certainly indicate the singer's vocal ability. I am so glad to see that Chris gained his master vocal ability back, and I strongly hope he does more tour like Songbook in the future. A tiny little complain I have about this album is that I wish they made it into two CDs because there are so many songs from the tour that could have been included, such as "Say Hello 2 Heaven", "Preaching the End of the World", "Billie Jean", "Getaway Car","Redemption Song", and especially "When I'm Down". Anyway, just one unofficial acoustic album- Unplugged In Sweden - was not adequate for a great acoustic live performer like Chris; fans certainly want more. This Songbook album is a must have for all those who thirst for 'that vocal performance'.

This album is an absolute must-have for any fan of Chris Cornell, Soundgarden or Audioslave. This is just him and his guitar playing with no other accompaniment. What an outstanding talent and tremendous loss when we lost him.

Amazing album...vocals and music on point - excellent song choice - Chris at his best.

良いです。非常に良い品でした。とても良い商品が購入できて満足しています。

"Songbook" ist ein beeindruckendes Live-Album von Chris Cornell, das die Vielseitigkeit und emotionale Tiefe des Künstlers in einem intimen Rahmen präsentiert. Die Sammlung umfasst sowohl Solo-Stücke als auch Klassiker aus seiner Zeit mit Soundgarden und Audioslave, was den Fans einen umfassenden Einblick in sein Schaffen bietet. Cornells Stimme ist der unbestrittene Star dieses Albums. Sie ist kraftvoll, verletzlich und voller Nuancen, was besonders in akustischen Arrangements zur Geltung kommt. Songs wie "Black Hole Sun" und "Hunger Strike" erhalten durch die reduzierte Instrumentierung eine neue Dimension, die die Texte und Emotionen noch stärker hervorhebt. Die Auswahl der Songs ist durchdacht und zeigt Cornells Fähigkeit, verschiedene Stile zu meistern – von rockigen Hymnen bis hin zu gefühlvollen Balladen. Die zwischen den Songs eingestreuten Anekdoten geben dem Hörer einen persönlichen Einblick in seine Gedankenwelt und machen das Erlebnis noch authentischer.Dennoch gibt es einige kritische Aspekte. Während die Intimität der Akustik-Performance für viele Fans ansprechend sein mag, könnte sie für andere etwas monoton wirken. Einige Stücke verlieren im Vergleich zu ihren Originalversionen an Dynamik und Energie.Die Mischung aus verschiedenen Epochen und Stilen kann gelegentlich verwirrend sein.Insgesamt ist "Songbook" ein starkes Zeugnis von Chris Cornells Talent als Songwriter und Performer. Es hat zwar kleinere Schwächen in Bezug auf Dynamik und Struktur, bleibt aber ein wertvolles Werk für jeden Fan seiner Musik und ein eindrucksvolles Beispiel für seine künstlerische Tiefe!

I absolutely love Chris's voice. I also love that he took his hits and re-did them in this acoustic manner. Totally different style and every bit as good as the rock versions.

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